Rotary engine.



No. 754,283. PATENTED MAR. a, 1904.

0. DB' CHAMP.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 19.04.

NO MODEL. REESErs-SHEET 1.

' WWNEEEEE. g N R- 'No. 754,283. PATBNTBD MAR. 23, 1904.

0. DB CHAMP.

ROTARY ENGINE.

- APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1904. v 4

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Patented March 8, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

OBED DE CHAMP, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 754,283, dated March 8, 1904. Application filed lanuary 26, 1904. Serial No. 190,698. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OBED DE CHAMP, ofEverett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary engines, and has for its object to construct a compact, simple, and effective duplex 1 engine which may be made compound or plain, as desired,and at a very slight difference in the cost of manufacture.

The invention consists in the novel constructions, arrangements, and combinations of parts, as will be fully described hereinafter and claimed; and it is carried out substantially as illustrated on the accompanying drawings, which form an essential part of this specification and whereon the engine has been shown 2 as a duplex compound engine; but it will be understood that the same may be made as a simple duplex or even as a single rotary engine, if so desired.

On the drawings like characters of reference 2 5 refer to like parts wherever they occur.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of my improved engine. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section through the main shaft of the engine, showing the different movable parts in 3 one of their relative positions. Fig. 3 represents a view of the engine similar to that shown in Fig. 2, but showing the movable parts in different relative positions. Fig. 4 represents a crosssection of the engine on the line A B in Fig. 1, but showing the same slightly enlarged. Fig. 5 represents a cross-section of the engine on the line C D on Fig. 1, but also showing the same slightly enlarged. Fig. 6 represents a detail view of the means employed 4 to cut off the supply of motive fluid at the desired part of the stroke of the piston to which said motive fluid is being supplied. Fig. 7 represents a detail horizontal section of the valves which control the admission of motive fluid to the cylinders of the engine.

Upon the main shaft 1 of the engine are firmly mounted the arms or blades 2, 3, 4, and 5, one for each cylinder of the engine. These blades form the pistons within the respective 5 cylinders 6, 7, 8, and 9 and are arranged in proper relative positions around the shaft 1 so as to cause their combined action upon the shaft to impart as even and as steadya rotary motion to the shaft as possible.

The cylinders are arranged in two pairsa high and a low pressure cylinder in each pair.

A pair of cylinders has been illustrated as being placed at each end of the shaft 1; but several pairs of cylinders may be used, if so desired. Two abutments 10 and 11, one for 0 each pair of the cylinders, are carried upon a rod 12. This rod 12 has no rotary motion, but

is free to be moved longitudinally within its bearings, so as to cause its attached abutments to be moved into and from their respective 5 cylinders, and thereby form a chamber on each side of the abutment between it and the blade or piston. These chambers are the pressure and exhaust chambers of the respective cylinders, and they vary according to the direction 7 in which the pistons are rotating, as will be understood by the complete description of the device.

The mechanism employed to operate the abutments so as to introduce them within the cylinders or to withdraw them from the cylinders consists of the following mechanism:

A shaft 13 is arranged at right angles to the shaft 1, and upon the shaft 13' is firmly mounted the fourpointed star shaped cam 14. 0 Upon the shaft 1 are two projecting arms 15 and 16, which are firmly attached thereto and arranged diametrically opposite each other thereon and so that they rotate with the shaft 1 in planes on opposite sides of the shaft 13 5 and alternately engage the arms of the star cam on opposite sides of the shaft 13. This alternate engagement of the star cam by the pins on the shaft 1 causes an intermitting oscillation of the shaft 13. An arm 17 is at- 9 tached to the shaft 13 and has its outer end in engagement with a pin 18 on the rod 12. The oscillations of the shaft 13 cause the oscillation of the upper end of the arm 17, and thereby move the abutments into and from their respective cylinders.

Motive fluid under pressure for the operation of the engine is supplied to the engine by the supply-pipe 19. Branch pipes 20 and 21 convey the motive fluid from the supply- 0 branch pipes and 21.

pipe 19 toward the cylinders, one of these branch pipes being necessary for each pair of cylinders. Between the supply-pipe and the branch pipes are introduced the respective valves 22 and 23 (shown in Fig. 6) and which valves control communication between the supply-pipe and the respective branch pipes. The valves 22 and 23, located within the re spective valve-casings 24 and 25, are coupled together by means of the hollow valve-rod 26, which acts to convey the motive fluid from the supply-pipe to the valve-casing 24 through the valve-casing 25, and therefore acts as an extension of the supply-pipe.

The oscillations of the shaft 13 by means of the arm 27 on the shaft acting upon a pin 28 on the rod 26 imparts a reciprocating movement to the rod 26, and this reciprocating movement operates the valves 22 and 23 in order to open or close communication between the supply-pipe 19 and the respective It will thus be seen that the valves 22 and 23 form cut-off valves and that the same may be so formed as to cut oil the supply of motive fluid to the respective branch pipes 20 and 21 at any desired portion of the rotary motion of the drivingshaft.

The branch pipe 20 communicates with a valve-casing 29, and it also communicates with the valve-casing through the hollow valverod 31, which forms an extension of the branch pipe 20. The valve-casings 29 and 30 are in open communication with the cylinder 6 through the respective pipes or passages 32 and 33, but on opposite sides of the abutment 10 when said abutment is moved into said cylinder. valve-casings to the cylinder it will be understood that the direction of the rotation of the blade 2 in the cylinder 6, and consequently the rotation imparted to the driving-shaft thereby, may be changed by the admission of the motive fluid to the cylinder through one or the other of the passages 32 and 33. The valve-rod 31 carries the valves 34 and 35, one at each end thereof. These valves control the admission of motive fluid to the respective valve-casings 29 and 30, and consequently the admission of said fluid to the cylinder 6 through the connecting-passages, and these valves are open and closed by the longitudinal reciprocation of the valve-rod 31. Thus the longitudinal movement of the valve-rod 31 forms a means whereby the movement of the driving-shaft may be reversed, if so desired.

The valve-casings 29 and 30 are in open communication with the cylinder 7 by means of the respective pipes 36 and 37, but on opposite sides of the abutment 10 when in said cylinder to the connection between said casings and the cylinder 6. The valve-casings 29 and 30 also communicate with a suitable exhaustpipe (not shown on the drawings) or with the By this connection of the open air by means of the respective pipes or passages 38 and 39, and these communicationsare controlled by means of the respective valves 40 and 41 within the respective valvecasings and attached to the hollow valve-rod 31, so that they may be opened and closed by the longitudinal movement of said rod while operating the valves 34 and 35. When the valve 34 within the casing 29 is opened, the valve 40 within the same casing is closed, and vice versa, and the same can be said in regard to the valves 35 and 41 within the casing 30.

The pair of cylinders 8 and 9 are provided with a mechanism for the admission, control, and exhausting of the motive fluid; but the several parts of such mechanism have not been shown on the drawings, only those parts which appear by the illustration of the devices above described and connected with the cylinders 6 and 7 having been shown and mostly by external views.

The valve-casings 42 and 43 correspond, re spectively, to the casings 29 and 30, and the branch pipe 21 conveys motive fluid to these casings 42 and 43 on its way to the cylinders 8 and 9. The hollow valve-rod 44 corresponds to the similar rod 31 and reciprocates to. operate the valves within the casings 42 and 43- in a manner similar to the reciprocations of the rod 31 to operate the valves within the casings 29 and 30. The casings 42 and 43 are in open communication with the cylinder 9 by means of passages which have not been shown on the drawings, but which correspond to the passages 32 and 33, and said casings are in open communication with the cylinder- 8' by means of the pipes 45 and 46 in a manner similar to the connection of the cylinders 6 and 7 by the pipes 36 and 37. The casings 42 and 43 are also provided with the exhaust-pipes 47 and 48, corresponding to the pipes 38 and 39 and which may be connected to a suitable exhaust or to the open air in a manner similar to the latter pipes.

The hollow valve-rods 31 and 44. are coupled together by means of a bar 49, so that said rods may be moved in unison when reciproeating said rods to reverse the movement of the engine, and this bar for convenience of operation is provided with a suitable handle 50, by which it may be easily operated when desired,

The operation of the engine is substantially as follows: Motive fluid from the pipe 19 enters the pipe 20 or 21, according tothe position of the valve-rod 26, and it is conveyed to the cylinder 6 or 9 through the valve-casings 2:9 or 4-2 or through the valve-casings 30 or 43, according to the position of the hollow valve-rods 31 and 44. The motive fluid thus admitted to the cylinder 6 or 9 will press against the blade or piston 2 or 5 within these respective cylinders and the abutment 10 or 11 therein and will thereby cause the rotation of the shaft 1. During the action of the moof the arms of the star cam 14 and turn it sufblade or piston 3 or 4 therein.

tive fluid within the cylinder, as above set forth, the motive fluid on the opposite side of the piston therein and which has previously caused the rotation of the shaft lwill be expipe to said valve-casing. This will cause the entire cylinder 7 or 8 to be filled with exhauststeam, as thereis no abutment within that cylinder at thattime to divide the same into two chambers on the opposite sides of the This operation will continue until the main shaft has been rotated thereby sufficiently to .cause one of its projecting pins or 1-6 to engage one ficiently to cause the arm 27 .to move the valve .rod 26 and out off the supply of motive fluid .to the. cylinder 6 or 9 and until the furtheroperation of the star cam has caused the abut- .ments to be moved from the cylinder 6 or 9 in which it has been into the cylinder 7 or 8 and divided it into two chambers and alsOuntilthe star cam has caused the valve-rod to move sufliciently to openthe supply of motive fluid to the other branch pipe 20 or 21 "and the cylinder 6 or 9, connected thereto. When the abutment has been moved from the cylinder6 or 9 into the cylinder 7 or 8 and divided that cylinder into two chambers on opposite sides of its blade or piston, the motive .fluid exhausting into that cylinder will act upon its piston in amanner as above described in relation to the piston in the cylinder 6 or9 and will also assist in causing the rotation of i the main shaft. The expanded fluid which has previously acted upon the piston in this cylinder 7 or 8 will exhaust into the open air or into an exhaust-pipe by passing through one of the connecting-pipes between said cylinder and one of the valve-casings 29 or 42 or the casing 30 or 43, according to the position of the valve-rods 31 and 44, and through its connected exhaust-pipe into the open air or a suitable exhaust-pipe.

The blades or pistons for the various cylinders are attached to the mainshaft in such relative positions that when motive fluid is being supplied to the high-pressure cylinder of the pair of cylinders at one end of the engine motive fluid from the high-pressure cylinder of the other pair of cylinders will be exhausting into the low-pressure cylinder of the latter pair of cylinders, and vice versa. By this means there is a high and a low pressure cylinder acting upon the main shaft to rotate it at all times, and this rotary movement will therefore be as steady and uniform as possib e.

It will thus be seen that my improved engine is simple, compact, and inexpensive to manufacture, not easy to get out of repair, and effective in its operation.

Having thus fully described the nature, construction, and operation of my invention, I wish to secure by Letters Patent andto claim 1. In a rotary engine, a main shaft, a blade on the shaft, a stationary casing surrounding the shaft, an abutment movable into and from the chamber within the casing in the direction of the axis of 'said shaft, supply and exhaust valves controlling the motive fluid to operate a the engine, and means to operate the abutment consisting of a star-shaped cam, a shaft carrying the star-shaped cam, an arm on the starcam shaft engaglng said abutment, and pins on the-main shaft engaging the arms of the star cam on opposite sides of its shaft.

2. In a rotary engine, a main shaft, two blades upon'the shaft on opposite sides thereof, a casing surrounding the shaft and forming two ring-shaped cylinders each containing .one of said blades, a connecting-passage between the two cylinders of the casing, a reciprocating abutment movable alternately from one cylinder into the other and forming a wall across the cylinders, supply and exhaust valves .for the cylinders, a star-shaped cam, a shaft carrying said cam, an arm on the star-cam shaft engaging said abutment, and pins on the main shaft engaging the star cam on opposite sides of its shaft to reciprocate the abutments.

, 3. In arotary engine, a main shaft, a plurality of series of blades upon the shaft, two blades in a series and on opposite sides of the shaft,

a casing for eachseries of blades surrounding the shaft and forming two ring-shaped cylintherein to form a wall across said cylinders, a

supply and exhaust valve for each casing, a star-shapedcam, a shaft carrying said cam, an arm on the star-cam shaft engaging said abutment, and pins on the main shaft engaging the star cam on opposite sides of its shaft to reciprocate the abutment.

4. In a rotary engine, a main shaft, blades upon the shaft projecting in diflerent directions around the shaft in series of two blades each, a casing having ring-shaped cylinders formed therein surrounding the shaft and having one of said blades in each cylinder forming a rotating piston therein, an abutment for each two cylinders in the casing reciprocating alternately-from one cylinder into the other cylinder and forming a wall across each cylinder, a valve-casing for each two cylinders, a supply-pipe of motive fluid connected to one of saidvalve-casings, a hollow valve-rod between the valve-casings forming acontinuation of the supply-pipe, a valve Within each valve-casing carried by the valve-rod controlling communication between the supply-pipe and the valve-casings, two valve-casings upon each two of the cylinders in open communication with one of said two cylinders but on opposite sides of the abutment in the cylinder, a branch pipe from each valve-casing on the supply-pipe connected to one of the valve-casings on the cylinders, a hollow valve-rod between the valve -casings on the cylinders forming a continuation of the branch pipe, a valve on the hollow valve-rod within each valve-casing on the cylinders and controlling the admission of motive fluid to said casings, pipes connecting each.valvecasing onthe cylinders with the other cylinder of the two cylinders, on opposite sides of the abutment in this latter cylinder, an exhaust-pipe from each valvecasing on the cylinders, avalve on the hollow valve-rod in each of said casings controlling communication with said exhaust-pipes, a starshaped cam, a shaft carrying said star cam, an arm on the star-cam shaft engaging the abutments, an arm on the star-cam shaft engaging the hollow valve-rod between the valve-casing on the supply-pipe, and pins on the main shaft engaging the star cam on opposite sides of its shaft to reciprocate the abutments and to operate the valves controlling the admission of motive fluid to the branch pipes.

5. In a rotary engine, a main shaft, blades upon the shaft projecting in different directions around the shaft in series of two blades each, a casing having ring-shaped cylinders formed therein surrounding the shaft and having one of said blades in each cylinder forming a rotating piston therein, an abutment for each two cylinders in the casing reciprocating alternately from one cylinder into the other cylinder and forming a wall across each cylinder, a valve-casing for each two cylinders, a supply-pipe of motive fluid connected to one of said casings, a hollow valve-rod between the valve-casings forming a continuation of the supply-pipe, a valve Within each valve-casing carried by the valve-rod controlling communication between the supply-pipe and the valve-casings, two valve-casings upon each two of the cylinders in open communication with one of said two cylinders but on opposite sides of the abutment in the cylinder, a branch pipe from each valve -'casing on the supplypipe connected to one of the valve-casings on I the cylinders, a hollow valve-rod between the valve-casings on the cylinders forming a continuation of the branch pipe, a valve on the hollow valve-rod within each valve-casing on the cylinders and controlling the admission of motive fluid to said casings, a bar connecting the hollow valve-rods on the casing having means whereby the hollow valve -rods are moved in unison, pipes connecting each valvecasing on the cylinders with the other cylinder of the two cylinders on the opposite sides of the abutment in this latter cylinder, an exhaust-pipe from each valve-casing on the cylinders, avalve on the hollow valve-rod in each of said casings controlling communication with said exhaust-pipes, a star-shaped cam, a shaft carrying said star cam, an arm on the star-cam shaft engaging the abutments, an arm on the star-cam shaft engaging the hollow valverod between the valvecasings on the supply-pipe, and pins on the main shaft engaging the star cam on opposite sides of its shaft to reciprocate the abutments and to operate the valves controlling the admission of motive fluid to the branch pipes.

In testimony whereof I haveaf'fixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OBED DE CHAMP. Witnesses:

HENRY CHADBOURN, JOSEPH W. FERGUSON. 

